[The Impact Of Stakeholder Influence On The Implementation Of A Business Continuity Plan]

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Acknowledgement

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I, [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction5

Significance5

Theoretical Framework6

Background of the Study19

Chapter 2: Literature Review23

Chapter Three: Research Methods58

Chapter Four: Findings and Discussion61

Empirical findings61

Human resources and responsibilities61

Business continuity planning and process62

Communications and structure65

Attitudes and ownership67

Analysis—time for a strategic role?68

Differences in practices—some clear leaders69

Shifting the approach73

Discussion74

Chapter Five : Conclusion80

References84

Chapter 1: Introduction

The groups of people who regularly interact with a business, such as customers, partners, vendors, investors and employees, are collectively the business's stakeholders. Each group has different needs and expectations from a business. These differences come into focus in the context of a business continuity plan, which documents the way a business will react to disaster scenarios that disrupt normal business operations. An ideal continuity plan will meet each of the stakeholders' needs simultaneously.

Significance

Businesses provide continuity plans for the stakeholders whom the plan affects. Stakeholders, in turn, review the plan to confirm that the business can survive disruptive scenarios such as acts of terrorism, natural disasters like floods or hurricanes and infrastructural disruptions like power outages. The plan informs stakeholders of the specific actions that must be taken, the specific employees who must take those actions and the order in which the actions should be taken depending on the nature of the disruptive event.

A business interacts with different groups of stakeholders as part of standard operations. At a minimum, a business's stakeholders are its employees and customers. Employees are typically most concerned with knowing when their working conditions and schedules will return to normal following a disruption, while customers are most concerned about the availability of the products or services they buy from the business. Depending on the type of business, stakeholder groups such as vendors, suppliers, partners, distributors, shareholders and investors may have various particular concerns about a business continuity plan and the way it will affect them.

Stakeholders require business continuity plans to describe in detail the actions the business takes under various disruption scenarios and to specify when the business will be able to resume meeting its stakeholders' needs. Plans may specify that the company will address different stakeholders' needs at different stages during recovery from a disruption. Stakeholders look for continuity plans that ensure that a business can return to normal operations as rapidly as possible following a business disruption.

Theoretical Framework

Different stakeholders have different needs from a business, but because businesses have finite resources, they typically cannot meet the needs of all stakeholders with equal speed. Generally, a business places a high priority on meeting the needs of its current customers and on ...